UCLA Has Hands Full, Beats SMU : College football: Shah’s touchdown gives struggling Bruins 17-10 victory.

Sharmon Shah rushed for 158 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter Saturday as 13th-ranked UCLA struggled to a 17-10 victory over Southern Methodist before 40,638 at the Rose Bowl.

Shah’s nine-yard run with 12:17 left capped a 79-yard, nine-play drive, which came right after SMU tied the game.

Shah, who carried 24 times, also caught six passes for 52 yards.

The Mustangs had a first-and-goal at the UCLA three with 1:45 remaining, but two running plays lost a yard each before Donnie Edwards sacked Ramon Flanigan for an 11-yard loss. Edwards was credited with 4 1/2 of UCLA’s eight sacks.

After a delay-of-game penalty, Flanigan threw an incomplete pass, and UCLA then ran out the clock.

The Bruins (2-0), favored by more than three touchdowns, blew several scoring chances and had their hands full containing Flanigan, who completed 22 of 34 passes for a career-high 301 yards and his team’s only touchdown, with one interception.

UCLA played without All-American wide receiver J.J. Stokes, who sat out the game because of a bruised left thigh. Stokes is expected to return next Saturday when the Bruins face top-ranked Nebraska at Lincoln, Neb.

The Mustangs (0-2) tied the game, 10-10, on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Flanigan to Mick Rossley, son of SMU Coach Tom Rossley, with 1:09 remaining in the third quarter. SMU drove 68 yards on 10 plays after an interception of Wayne Cook’s pass by Troy Williams.

After Shah’s touchdown, UCLA missed a chance to extend its lead when Bjorn Merten missed a 44-yard field goal with 5:26 remaining.

UCLA failed to score on its first four possessions and trailed, 3-0, before Cook threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Jordan with 4:08 left before halftime.

A 44-yard field goal by Ben Crosland with 11:11 remaining in the second quarter capped a 53-yard, 13-play drive and gave the Mustangs a 3-0 lead.

On SMU’s next possession, the Mustangs gained 62 yards on a shovel pass from Flanigan to Jacques Smith to reach UCLA’s four, but Flanigan was sacked twice, and Crosland was wide left on a 39-yard field goal try.

The Bruins then got their offense in gear, moving 77 yards in 11 plays to take a 7-3 lead on the Cook-to-Jordan scoring pass, which came on a third-and-eight play.

The Bruins extended the lead to 10-3 on Merten’s 41-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. On the three previous plays, Cook completed passes of 16, 15 and 18 yards to Jordan, moving UCLA from its 28 to the SMU 23.

Cook completed 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions. Jordan had seven catches for 83 yards.

UCLA lost two starters in the third quarter. Offensive right tackle Paul Kennedy sprained his right knee, and cornerback Carl Greenwood broke an ankle.